The Oracle's Cry
by Baxter54132
Summary: Despite defeating Gaia, the power of prophecy is still mysteriously silent. A quest is needed, and Will is the perfect person to lead it; he is the Apollo cabin counselor after all. Of course no quest is easy, but with Nico by his side they can accomplish anything. Reyna's there to help too of course.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, so this is my big project for nanowrimo, though these are just the first couple thousand words. Currently I'm 10k deep as day 6 has just ended and hopefully this will be a 50 k story in just 24 more days.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO please don't sue me.

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><p><strong>Rachel:<strong>

Rachel was mystified, but not in the terrifying prophecies that spell out doom kind of way. It was actually the lack of prophecies that was causing her confusion.

_It's only been a week_ she told herself, but that didn't seem very comforting. The week she referred to was the defeat of Gaia. Her last and most powerful prophecy had brought them together, and the seven defeated the earth dweller. Leo Valdez was unfortunately taken, and Rachel was surprised she wasn't shot a couple nasty looks by the survivors in the group. She gave them the prophecy after all.

After Gaia was defeated, everyone assumed that Rachel's power of prophecy would return, herself included. She sat in her cave in perfect meditation and waited. Caves were good for meditating but not much else. Four grey walls and one picture of her friends, but nothing else.

After meditation failed, Rachel tried other methods to summon the spirit. She dunked her head in water, stood on the edge of a tall cliff, even tried throwing her pink hairbrush at her own head. Unfortunately nothing worked.

After a long week of isolation she figured it was time to give up. No matter how deeply she focused she simply couldn't connect with the spirit of Delphi. It was like a television with no signal, just black and white fuzz. Even Apollo couldn't or wouldn't connect with her. He could just be busy serenading girls or something.

Regardless of his reasoning it appeared clear that something was wrong with the spirit. Rachel wasn't sure what to do about it. She could go to Delphi herself and take a look, but she'd be powerless to actually do anything. Wait, Rachel lived in camp Half Blood. There were campers around every corner eager to go on a quest.

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><p>"I see, so a quest to see what's disturbing the spirit at Delphi?" Chiron mulled the idea over quietly, but Rachel could tell other things weighed on his mind. She had easily found him lurking in the main cabin nose deep in some ancient book. Annabeth would probably have recognized it but Rachel had no clue.<p>

Rachel nodded in response, "Yes, I don't think the spirit would be silent unless there was a reason." Not like Rachel had any idea of what this could be. The spirit could just be taking a nap. It could have a blanket wrapped tightly around it's shoulders and just need a nudge. Or it could be dead. That's why they needed someone to go look.

Rachel was unsure if Chiron followed her reasoning, but he agreed with a sigh, "How many people should go?"

"Hmm, three sounds like a good number to me," Rachel felt uncertain in choosing a number. Normally that kind of thing was dictated by the prophecy. "Yeah three, they'll be small and stealthy but not too small that they'll be overwhelmed."

"Sounds good, let's call the head counselors to a meeting."

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><p>It only took about thirty minutes to gather the head counselors. Every head counselor was present, and Rachel's pleased to see Nico looking much healthier than he had been at the end of the battle. Will Solace seemed to be lingering off to his right, and the two exchanged words quietly before the meeting started.<p>

Piper and Jason came in together, and Piper waved when she recognized Rachel from across the large table. Rachel remembered their fun times together in Hera's cabinet quite well, and she's surprised it didn't scar the young half blood for life. Piper nudged Jason and pointed over towards Rachel, probably telling him about the time she freaked out and grabbed her shirt. Jason chuckled good naturedly at the comment, glancing up once to smile at Rachel.

The only surprise guest at the meeting was Reyna. Rachel hadn't exchanged many words with the Roman leader, but she emulated power. Her two dogs slept happily at her feet. She was speaking amicably with Annabeth, and Rachel felt pleased that she was fitting in.

The group was still buzzing when Chiron called for them to settle down. "I'm sure you are all curious as to why we called you here on such short notice."

A couple of them exchanged glances and Annabeth spoke up, "Does this mean that the silence of prophecy has finally been broken?" She sounded hopeful, but her expression fell when Chiron sadly shook his head no.

"Unfortunately not, but that's directly related to why I called you here." Chiron stepped to his right, revealing a large pull down map. It looked like the kind that schools usually have. A teacher would use it for their class, then pass it on to someone else. Rachel briefly wondered how he got it but didn't think it would be worth asking. "As you are aware, the prophecy has been silent since Gaia's awakening. We were hoping the spirit would return once she was defeated, but unfortunately this doesn't seem to have happened."

The head counselors murmured uneasily between themselves, only Clarisse didn't seem to mind. "So you want some of us to look into it?" Her grip tightened on the sword she always wore, as if she were imagining defeating whatever lay in Delphi.

"Yes," Chiron turned to point at Delphi on the map, "Delphi is a small city near the coast here, and Rachel and I believe something must be disturbing the spirit."

"But we don't have a prophecy." Will's voice cut through Chiron's, and he apologized under his breath for interrupting him, "Sorry, just when we go on quests without prophecies bad things happen."

Clarisse scoffed loudly, "I think I can handle anything I find there."

Chiron nodded sympathetically at Will, "Yes we don't have a prophecy, but since the oracle is silent I don't think we have any other choice."

"I would like to go then," Will accepted Chiron's comment, and he looked determined as he figuratively stepped forward. "I'm the head counselor of Apollo's cabin it only makes sense."

This drew another sneer out of Clarisse, "I can handle this alone."

Will was too easy going to start up with Clarisse, but he was clearly irritated with her retort. Chiron stepped in before anything could break out. "Clarisse, I don't think you should be going on this quest."

"What?!" Clarisse slammed her arms down onto the table so loudly that the chandelier above their heads shuddered a little. "Why not Chiron you know I'm more than capable."

Chiron was unshaken by Clarisse's outburst. "This mission is more of a stealth and investigative mission than anything else. I think you and I both know you are better suited for fighting and less for stealth."

Rachel didn't think Clarisse could really argue with that. She turned away with a huff, her face set in a firm scowl. "Fine."

"Good," Chiron almost seemed relieved that Clarisse didn't put up much of a fight. "Now who else wants to go?"

"I would, if it's not out of place." Every head snapped to where the Roman Praetor lingered in the corner. Reyna looked nervous about speaking up, but her voice was as clear and strong as always. "I know I'm not a camper here, but I have a vast knowledge of Greece, and I can get us a boat at my camp to sail over there with." Reyna paused as if she were giving her words great thought. "The oracle is just as important to my campers as yours. I would like to aid in recovering the gift of prophecy."

More mumbling broke out amongst the counselors, mostly from Clarisse. Will made sure to speak up over them, "That sounds fair to me. Reyna's knowledge will be really helpful."

Chiron agreed, "Reyna has more world experience than most of our campers, it'll be good to travel together and strengthen the bond between our camps." The mumbling died down with a few giving their consent. "Great, I think one more would be appropriate who would like to be the third?"

Annabeth looked like she wanted to volunteer but Percy placed one hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She made a face like _you can't tell me what to do seaweed brain_ but stayed silent. In fact the whole room was silent, no one wanted to volunteer. Clarisse seethed more and more as every second passed.

Surprisingly Will was the counselor who finally spoke up. "I'd like Nico to go." The response from the group was somewhat lacking, but they all silently asked why. After a moment of silence Will began to explain, "Like Reyna, Nico has a lot of experience traveling the world, and I think we'll make a good team."

Everyone looked over to Nico, who didn't seem all that surprised at being asked for. His expression was grim as usual, though Rachel could sense a little happiness at being mentioned. He was looking down at his hands, but glanced up when he realized everyone was waiting for him. "Sure I'll go." He shrugged and acted distant as usual.

Everyone accepted it with no arguments, though only Will and Reyna seemed excited about him joining them on the quest. "It's settled then, Will you will be the quest leader, you can leave first thing in the morning. Are there any other questions?" Chiron glanced around as if to say _speak now or leave it in peace._

Rachel wasn't expecting anyone to speak up, so when Percy opened his mouth she wondered what he could possibly have to say. "Annabeth and I want to check out the New Rome area, is it ok if we travel with you guys to the roman camp?"

"Sure I don't see why not." Will agreed with little thought, "I think the easiest way to go would be by pegasi, then they can come back to camp when we get on the boat."

"That settles it then, good luck campers. This meeting is adjourned."

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><p>That's it for now lemme know if you wanna see more there's a crap ton more story that just needs a bit of editing, I think this is a good start.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate your comments and encouragement.

This chapter has a bit more plot and a tiny tiny bit of percabeth.

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><p><strong>Nico:<strong>

Nico wouldn't say he's nervous about going on the quest. He'd done many things more dangerous like being locked up in Tartarus and shadow traveling across America. Really, no matter what they faced Nico was sure he could handle it. Unless it was Hades doing, that would piss him off.

The Hades cabin was as dull as always, Nico never bothered to decorate it since he simply didn't care. The only distinguishing trait it had was an old picture of Bianca, Nico, and their mother. Nico was careful when he framed the photo. He wondered if he should add something Hades related to the cabin sometime, it was technically his. Maybe a little bust of his face, he might like that.

What if his father was responsible for everything. Why would Hades care about the Oracle being silent. _Maybe there's some terrible quest he wants to keep a secret._ That's ridiculous Hades doesn't care about quests. Lots of heroes die on quests maybe he wanted to prevent death. No he's not that compassionate.

"Just ask him yourself," Nico grumbled under his breath at his own scattered thoughts. He dug around for a golden drachma and headed into the bathroom attached to his cabin. Since he never expected cabin mates, Nico build the bathroom small, one stall, one sink, and one shower. One large mirror sat over the sink, and the walls were painted stark white. Plain and simple, just the way Nico liked it.

He decided the shower would give him the best stream for an iris message. Nico turned the shower on full, making sure not to soak himself with water. "Show me Hades." The underworld became clear in the fountain of water, but strangely Hades didn't appear in the image.

The underworld thrown room appeared to be empty, and Nico let out a huff in frustration.

"Now now young hero, don't fret." A woman's voice drifted through the link, and Nico tensed when a young goddess stepped into his view. She had an air of spring about her, and Nico unfortunately recognized her.

"Persephone." Nico kept his voice cool and collected, though if he were being honest the goddess always made him nervous. She always stood out in the underworld, it felt so unnatural. "What do you want?"

"I can't simply say hello to my favorite son in law?" Persephone layered sweetness into her voice, but Nico was still on edge. He had never gotten along well with Hades late addition to the family, and their visits together were never happy ones. Persephone had always felt that Hades given Nico too much of his time, which of course took away from her own desire to be with Hades.

"No."

"Fair enough," Persephone's smile flickered slightly and she glanced past the iris message. "Your father went to check on the field of asphodels. I thought I'd take the time to wish you good luck on your quest."

Nico took a wary step back from the shower. Why would Persephone wish him well? She hadn't shown him any affection in the past. "Thanks I guess."

Persephone's smile returned to full strength at his comment, "Surely you know that's not all I'm here for young hero. I also bring a warning and a gift. Which would you like first?"

The question sounded like a trap. Nico thought carefully about his answer. "I'll take the warning first."

"Good choice." Persephone paused for emphasis and a chill rolled down Nico's spine. "Your quest may seem clean cut, but new challenges will try to halt your progress. If you don't rely on your allies you will surely fail."

Nico simply stared when Persephone finished. "Is that it? Really?"

"Don't undervalue my words hero." Persephone looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but Nico didn't care. She was wasting his time with all of this, saying he needed to rely on his friends. He had already heard this, what was the point? "And now for the gift."

Persephone reached into her robe and drew out a small black orb. "This is orb of Delphi. Hades has been guarding it in the underworld for centuries but you will need it on your quest." Demeter squeezed the orb tight in her right hand, and suddenly Nico felt a heavy weight in his left jacket pocket. He pulled out the orb to give it a closer look.

The orb was partially transparent and had a thick fog that floated inside the hard glass. Nico shook the orb curiously but the fog barely shifted. "What's it for?"

Persephone merely shook her head, "You will need to figure that out for yourself. Now I must go; good luck Nico." Persephone reached out and smoothly interrupted the connection which left Nico in the dark.

"Great," Nico grumbled to himself as he rolled the orb around in his palm. "Useless advice and a useless present." _Why did I expect anything else?_

Nico crouched down to drag his backpack from under his bed. He placed the orb between a couple camp half blood t-shirts and dropped it inside. That should keep it safe for now. Nico gathered the rest of his belongings and headed to bed, tomorrow was going to be a big day.

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><p><strong>Percy:<strong>

Percy had mixed feelings about going to New Rome. On one hand he wanted to look at apartments and college with Annabeth. On the other he had left quite an impact during his time there. A few butterflies fluttered in his stomach at the thought of encountering his old comrades.

The group had set out at the break of dawn, and Percy found himself riding Blackjack in the back of the group. Annabeth was closest to him, then Nico and Will with Reyna at the front. The pegasi were more than happy to fly them to San Francisco and it should only take a few hours.

As they flew, Percy couldn't help but notice how friendly Will and Nico were acting. The two of them were flying side by side. Percy strained his ears but he couldn't make out whatever they were talking about. It must have been funny since Will let out a loud laugh every thirty seconds or so. Even Nico seemed to be holding back a chuckle and Percy imagined he was smiling.

Percy knew he shouldn't be spying on them. He just wanted to make sure Nico was doing okay. He was completely thrown by his confession only a week ago, and the teen hadn't spoken a word to him since.

Percy was happy for Nico. It seemed like he had something strong developing with Will, and Percy already felt bad about not knowing about Nico's feelings for all of those years.

"Hey," Annabeth cut off his deep thoughts; she must have been able to sense his inner conflict. "Got something on your mind?"

Percy hesitated in answering. Did he want to mention Nico? No it would probably smarter to focus on the New Rome stuff. "I'm just nervous to check out New Rome."

"Yeah it'll be overwhelming. I'm excited to see the architecture though. The Romans used a lot of Greek methods, but they had a few cool ideas of their own." Annabeth kept going about pillars and types of cement and Percy merely listened. He always loved when Annabeth got excited about things, though he could tell there was a drop of nerves mixed with her rambling.

Percy reached out to rest a hand on hers which brought her words to a grinding halt. "It's going to be amazing." He would have said more but Camp Jupiter appeared on the horizon.

The sun by this point was about halfway up the sky and Percy guessed it was around 11 am. The camp was thriving with campers and Percy felt a rush of adrenaline as he remembered his first time in the camp. Reyna motioned for the group to land in the center of camp.

Once landed they said goodbye to the pegasi and headed into camp. Percy kept his head down for the most part, though he waved sheepishly if a camper acknowledged him.

Frank Zhang was the first camper that walked up to them. He had a dorky bright smile stretched across his face as he greeted Reyna. The two shared a few amicable words before Reyna turned towards the group. She spoke with Will and Nico about the quest and it made Percy want to go on it even more.

Traveling to Delphi was right up his alley, a year ago he would have been a given for that kind of thing. He was all about traveling the world, especially with Annabeth by his side. Despite this he knew he couldn't go. This quest was for the next generation, plus he had an important task to do in New Rome. Percy suddenly realized he completely zoned out and Annabeth started to tug him further into the camp.

"Where are we going?"

"They're putting us into one of the new cabins."

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><p>That's it for now I hope you all enjoyed it.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hi again, yes it's been a while, but I do have this stuff ready to go so I hope you enjoy reading it.

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><p><strong>Nico:<strong>

The group decided they would spend the night while their boat was being prepped, and soon Nico found himself deep asleep.

Dreaming was perfectly normal for most demigods, so when he discovered himself walking down a long tunnel he wasn't surprised. A flashlight appeared in his hand, which he shone over the layered stone walls. Everything was dark except for the supplied light and Nico rolled his eyes at the attempt at spookiness.

Nico glanced behind him but nothing is there. He kept walking, aware of a dripping sound that grew in the background. The drip sounded like it was echoing off the walls, but Nico couldn't spot the source of the drip. The longer he walked, the louder the drip became.

Nico checked behind him again, but this time he could see something in the distance. A large wave of water flowed down the passage towards Nico and it took him a few seconds to process what was happening. It only took a few seconds for Nico to realize he needed to run. He turned and darted down the stone hallway, but he could hear the water as it rolled towards him.

The water washed up around his feet and then a large wave crashed into Nico. He let out a harsh yelp and stumbled forward as he dropped his flashlight with a loud thud. Water swarmed over his head, and Nico wished he had Percy's gift of breathing under water. Unfortunately his dream didn't grant him this ability, and he felt helpless as the water threatened his life.

Nico woke with an audible gasp and practically leapt out of his bed. His first instinct was to go outside, but he remembered where he was.

His friends were sleeping all around him, and Nico watched them sleep to calm himself down. Percy and Annabeth of course were in beds near each other; though Reyna had shot them down to spend a night in her own room. Will was lying almost perfectly still, almost as if he weren't breathing.

Wait, was he not breathing? Nico climbed out of bed as quietly as possible and walked the three steps to his friend's bed. Upon closer inspection he realized what he thought was Will's head was actually a small pineapple. Wow did he really think he could just sneak out whenever he wanted? They had a big quest in a few short hours.

Nico decided he should go look for him. He snuck out of the cabin smoothly and he hoped Will left some kind of hint as to where he went.

Nico didn't see anything when he first stepped outside, but he knew his way around camp pretty well and quickly made his way to the center of the camp. A few kids were up late around a campfire, but none of them were Will. Nico walked around the outside of the camp fire and he wished he could just summon an army of skeletons to find him. Unfortunately that was a big no no, apparently if he summoned the dead again he might die.

Not like he cared much for what Mr. sneak out whenever he felt like it said. He could summon the dead just fine nothing would happen. Despite his confidence Nico didn't want to test his luck.

It was thirty seconds after he walked away from the camp fire when Nico heard two people through some trees. They spoke with hushed voices and were in almost complete darkness. The taller of the two teens was holding a dim candle and Nico barely made out their faces.

One was clearly Will, his blond hair stood out the most in the dim light. He was whispering fervently to the slightly taller Roman camper. The Roman listened fervently and nodded his head at whatever Will was saying.

Who was this guy anyway? Will had never been to the Roman camp before it wouldn't make sense for him have already made friends. Maybe it was a hook up. Nico shook his head, that sounded ridiculous, Will wouldn't hook up with someone like that.

"You're the best, thank you!" Nico almost jumped out of his skin at the outburst from the two. Will had burst out probably from excitement and looked embarrassed about it. He glanced around to see if anyone had noticed them, but Nico slid behind a tree so he wouldn't be spotted.

Will gave up looking around and the two went back to talking. After another minute or so they shook hands and went their separate ways. Once they were gone Nico dashed through the trees, he had to beat Will back to the cabin. A sharp pain dug into his chest as he ran, how could Will go behind his back like this.

Nico didn't care if the people at the camp fire saw him now so he dashed through their area and earned a few stares from the late night campers. Fortunately he got back to the cabin in record time and tucked himself back into bed just as the door swung open.

Nico squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to the cautious footsteps, and fought back a rush of unwanted anger as Will settled back into his bed. _Worry about it later Nico, you need to rest for the mission._

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><p><strong>Reyna:<strong>

Reyna felt like it would be important to share a few words with her fellow Praetor before leaving on their quest. She woke up an hour before her Greek comrades and met with him over cereal. Well he ate cereal, she drank coffee.

"Are you worried about leaving me in charge?" Frank was in a good mood that morning, but Reyna could tell he was a little anxious about meeting with her. He hadn't been Praetor for long, but Reyna knew he had great instincts.

"That's not it at all," Reyna broke up her sentence with a long sip of her coffee. "I trust you will take good care of Camp Jupiter in my absence."

Frank chewed his cereal slowly, "So what's up then?"

"This quest is full of the unknown. We are going without a prophecy, and without any clue as to what we'll face in Greece." Reyna knew she probably shouldn't mention all of this to Frank. He was a sensitive and kind person, it would only worry him. However he needed to be aware of what could happen and the actions he would need to take. "If we don't return within two months you should send a patrol to search for us. If that patrol is unsuccessful then you will be the sole Praetor of the Roman Legion."

Reyna watched as her purpose for coming slowly sank in. Frank set his spoon down slowly and his eyebrows furrowed. "That's not going to happen. You've never failed a quest before why would this be different?"

"Quests don't usually have us go to another country, and they've always had a prophecy." Reyna shook her head when Frank opened his mouth to cut her off. "I have every intention of succeeding believe me, I just want you to be prepared if I don't."

Frank glanced down at his bowl with a defeated look, "Fine."

"Good. If the worst happens you'll need to appoint a new female Praetor, and I trust your judgment on that. You'll also have to do something about the lack of prophecies. If we fail I'm assuming that the gift of prophecy will lock itself forever, so you'll need to find some other way to generate quests."

"We could just make stuff up." Frank seemed unhappy about suggesting this.

Reyna nodded, "Perhaps you could consult Apollo about what to do. He may have a few recommendations since the spirit of Delphi was under his protection." Reyna could tell Frank was deeply unhappy about their conversation, but he nodded.

Frank stood up from their table with a huff, "Dang Reyna just don't die okay? Everything will be fine."

The ship they were taking was designed by Reyna herself. She had always wanted to design a more modern warship, so when she became Praetor she did just that. She was against naming the ships after herself but the camp had insisted. So Will and Nico were welcomed aboard the SS Ramirez.

Much to Reyna's surprise, Nico and Will were enamored with the fact that she designed the ship. Nico hid it the same way he hid everything but Reyna could tell he was impressed. They walked around to all parts of the ship, both asking questions about the design.

"The idea of this ship is to be small and stealthy. It's only 100 feet long and 50 feet deep, I put a silent solar engine on the rear that charges all day, so we can take the sails in if the wind isn't blowing in our favor." The boat was indeed quite tiny. The downstairs had a small kitchen, sleeping area, and bathroom. Other than that, there wasn't much going on. "It'll take us a week to sail to Greece, so I asked the camp to prepare us a month worth of food. That'll give us a week to take care of things and then come back."

Will seemed impressed with Reyna's preparedness. Reyna wondered how much was faked to stroke her ego, but the two were being so kind that she didn't care. Nico seemed a little off, but he was probably just nervous about their trip. "You can drive this thing?"

Reyna nodded, "Every Roman camper is trained to steer a ship, plus I have a compass and a map."

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><p>Maybe I shouldn't have attempted a past tense story, but it's too late now hah.<p> 


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